Glistening Lights and Futures in Mind
by ThatBlazingLook
Summary: The best relationships, and the ones with the most withstanding power, are the ones with the strongest supportive bonds. One's that are never one-sided but are always unconditional. After all, you are not finding someone to complete you, but someone to help you complete yourself. *Spoby attends a Christmas soiree*


_*Re-uploaded because apparently the last one was just as much made up of numbers as it was letters?* It's nearly halfway till Christmas right? So now is an appropriate time to upload a Spoby Christmas story right? To be fair, I did start writing this in December..._

* * *

White flakes dusted the tiles of the shimmering ballroom entryway as the young couple made there way inside. It fell from their gloves their scarves and their coats as they vacated them for the eager attendant waiting, arms outstretched, beside them. The flakes were not restricted to clothes however. In fact, the majority of them seemed to have landed atop Spencer's head. The watery bits seemed to have tangled their way into her locks in their short journey from car to door. But Toby was the only one who noticed, because whenever the light hit her just the right way, her whole head shined as bright as the tinsel adorning the decorated doorways.

The sight was short lived though, for Spencer had entered the venue on a mission, and that mission did not allow for such luxuries as admiring precipitation.

"Spencer you are more wound up going to a party than you were handing in your thesis paper." Toby joked.

Spencer wrung her fabric clutch in her hands to match the action her insides were performing. Her mission may not have held room for frivolous things but it did leave time for nerves. "I'm the new girl in the office which means if I want to move my way up the corporate ladder, I have to attend all social events. This is a business outing just as much as it is pleasure."

"Wow, I had no idea you were so ambitious."

Spencer nodded her head mindlessly as she scanned the crowd, "You'll never get anywhere without ambition."

Toby looked at her curiously, "Are you really that blind to sarcasm or are you just not listening to me?" She glared at him, "Spence, this is a fundraising christmas party run by a nonprofit charitable organization. Just relax, I know that's a tough concept for you but just..." He motioned to the commotion around him, "be happy."

"I am happy," her heart poured out of her words as it had every time she'd talked about work since she'd started, "everyday I'm happy I get to come here and do something meaningful in the world. But that doesn't mean I don't see problems with execution and ways of expansion that, if addressed, could skyrocket this company to the next level. And I can't fix nor execute those until I move up from my 4x4 cubicle."

Spencer took her eyes away from the mass and met Toby's with a slightly embarrassed expression, "You don't think I'm a heartless monster do you?"

"Spence," he pled knowingly, "I watched you organize a 5k run for leukemia research a few weeks ago that you spent months coordinating to a T till the wee hours of the morning. I know that because I'd wake up for work and you'd still be flipping through binders and city maps clutching number I-don't-even-want-to-know of coffee. So monster, possibly," he smirked," but heartless? No way in hell."

Spencer beamed at his reassuring words. He always knew the right way to bring her peace of mind. He didn't just say 'of course you're not' he'd spin it through real life examples that somehow make her believe in it herself, instead of simply what he told her. "Now," Toby asked as he fixed the large box he held in his arms, "where can I drop off this massively heavy gift and who do we mingle with first?"

"First off," she held her hand to stop his movement, "you carry around giant stacks of lumber all day and you're gonna tell me a toy robot is too heavy for you?"

"You do know I'm not a lumber jack right?"

"You do wear a lot of plaid..." She teased with a playful bump of the shoulder. "Oh," she then suddenly blurted, changing tones as she straightened her dress in a very business-like fashion, "looks like your second question answered itself. Here comes, Director of Function Advertising, Meredith Finckle. I worked with her a lot when I was putting together things for the run."

Toby glanced at the approaching women. She was graying and middle-aged but wore a face full of vibrant features that glowed in confidence and worldly appreciation.

"Spencer!" She gushed as she rushed to hug the brunette, "So glad you could come!"

"Of course! How could I miss the legendary holiday party?"

"It'd true," she laughed as she addressed Toby "us philanthropists are always known for our crazy parties." Her infectious beam stood firm "Now you must be the Fiancee, Toby was it? The names Meredith Finckle." They shook hands, "I worked with Spencer on the Leukemia walk back in October. I tell you, wonderfully talented girl she is, been at the company for barley 8 months and was already basically running the show of one of the largest populated 5k's we handle. I swear this ones got talent and a real work ethic."

"Believe me I know." Toby nearly boasted, "You wouldn't believe the amount of times I had to pull her out of a book over the years." Spencer's face grew a light shade of pink.

Another curt laugh from Meredith. "And what do you do Toby?" She then asked in true curiosity.

"Ah," Toby shifted uncomfortably, "day time carpenter; architect hopeful."

"Architect! Oh you've just got to meet Bill's wife Terry! You know she just built the new expansion on the library on the south end of town -"

Toby's eyes glowed eagerly, "With the vaulted ceiling and skylights?"

"Oh yes I have to introduce the two of you." she laughed, "You don't mind do you Spencer? If I steal your husband-to-be?" She teased with a light-hearted smile.

"No no, steal away!" She smiled back, "I have no attachment towards him."

And with that, she was off, pulling Toby willingly away by the elbow, babbling on about something architect related. Or, possibly not. Meredith could talk your ear off about anything. Something she saw on the news the night prior, the traffic and weather she heard on the radio on the way into the office and the vast array of in-betweens. But Spencer didn't mind (most of the time), especially not when she would go on a tangent about her travels. She'd been to everywhere from Rome to Tokyo to the jungles of South America. She and Toby had traveled but they had seen no where near the amount of the world they'd wanted to see and Spencer was admittedly, both wonderstruck and envious. From school to work to moving and finding apartments, the years since Spencer graduated Rosewood High had been non-stop and left minimal room for adventure.

Spencer got an acceptance from NYU not long after getting denied from UPenn. She'd later discovered, by a phone call that should have been made months prior, that the admissions office had never actually received her application. It seemed Cece Drake, the person whom believed Spencer and her friends got her kicked out of college, did not want Spencer attending one. And she had simply thrown Spencer's application in the trash at the Kahn's house party.

Spencer hadn't committed to any college when she found this out late spring of her senior year. She had long since written off UPenn, even convinced her parents to do the same. If they didn't want her now they didn't deserve her. Not for regular decision and not for a transfer student. They'd blow it, her mother had said, they'd blown their chances to have an amazing intellect grace their halls.

But this was a game changer because this new information told her that they didn't necessarily not want her. It was too late to apply at this point, even through regular decision. And the prospect of picking a school simply for a semester so she could then transfer to UPenn in the spring flashed into her mind like only like a firework. And, doing as fireworks do, it died down very quickly. Fizzling from a bang into the silence of the night within seconds.

She sent the check to NYU not long after and never told her parents about the mishap.

That same summer Toby found a new job, a solid job, one that would hammer him into one place instead of having him travel from county to county for simple house renovations. No this place had too much going on in its residing town to send him anywhere else. He had only just been planting the seed idea of interviewing for a new contracting company after a particularly long weekend upstate when the job offer landed in his lap. And Toby was not one to say no to that kind of luck.

Of course, the fact that his new place of occupation would leave him only a few city streets away from his girlfriends place of education certainly didn't hinder his decision making. If Spencer was one of the only things keeping him in Rosewood, her leaving it had a definite change on his desired inhabitance.

That comfort didn't ease his nerves though. New York was a big and fast paced city with more square feet going upwards than it had going outwards. Toby'd never done anything as modern as this city seemed to breath. Nor had he been in a place so full of harsh critics. Spencer had been the one that had to coax him out of his uneasiness, reminding him that THEY were the ones that showed an interest in him and THEY wouldn't have hired him if they didn't think he was capable.

Still, it was not with slow beating hearts that they took the drive to New York for Spencer's orientation and Toby's apartment hunt.

The prospect of HIS apartment being THEIR apartment had come up, but ultimately, Spencer had decided that dorming would be the only way she could fully emerge herself into college life, ergo progressing her future career socially as she did educationally.

And there was no way Toby was arguing with her when she started spouting all of that out at a million miles a minute.

She had been nervous too of course, something that had been made clear by her persistent jimmy legs the shook the already rocking 1980's pick-up. By the time hour one of three of their was up, Toby had had enough. Finally, he vacated one of his calloused hands from the steering wheel and planting it firmly down on one of Spencer's jumping legs until it's shaking ceased.

Spencer, whose eyes had been glued out the passenger's side window turned towards him with an abashed face. She mumbled out a 'sorry'. Her nerves however were not subsided, just simply transferred to another thoughtless task for a different body part to anxiously preform. Toby flipped his hand over so that his knuckles grazed her thigh and his palm held only air. Spencer glanced downward at the movement and slowly removed her fingers, and the chipped nails that came with them, from between her teeth and slipped them into the weightless carriers.

"It'll be fine." He squeezed to her their hands.

She let out a light chuckle, "Seems like I was just saying that to you."

"Yeah well, it's true. I mean who know's where this job will go. I just know that you're gonna do great."

She returned her gaze to the rapidly passing countryside, "You're sounding very sure of yourself for someone who can't see into the future."

Toby focused his eyes solely on the road while his mouth spoke sheer simplicity "Don't need to."

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"You're Spencer Hastings." He stated plainly.

Spencer threw her head back in a jocular roar. "Well that's be great if it meant anything."

Toby looked to his right with a face of honest astonishment.

"You really don't know how amazing you are do you?"

Slightly taken aback by his tone, Spencer contorted her face at his words, hiding the turned up corners of her lips.

"That's sweet, but that viewpoint is sort of a requirement of your title."

He shook his head determinedly, "Not true." He said, "people are in relationships for all the wrong reasons. Money, sex, greed -"

"Those all sound like great reasons to me." She heard Toby scoff beside her. She let a beat pass before adding, "And you forgot access for household maintenance assistance." A smirk folded onto her lips as she side-eyed her boyfriend from the passengers seat. "Or would that fall under the greed category?"

Needless to say, things worked out for the both of them. Spencer was able to complete her undergrad in business management and human services within only three years after all the summer classes she'd taken throughout high school. She then moved immediately into NYU's graduate program... and simultaneously into Toby's apartment.

"I think I've established enough long lasting friendships and connections within the university that I can move out without fear of losing my momentum in any future progression." she had said.

"Well I'm glad this step in our relationship wont push you down the social pyramid." He had replied as he opened another box to unload.

She gave him a stupid grin, "Don't be thick."

A neatly packed tablecloth was thrown outward a moment later, undoing all it's finely pressed lines. The fabric laid flat against Spencer legs after filling the room with a momentary breeze and the motion took Spencer out of her memories.

She was no longer in the tiny studio she and Toby still shared just outside of Manhattan. No, now she was starring at tables draped in a similar fabric, in a room full of chattering party goers. One seemed to stick out among the others however, for she seemed to dart through the crowd with inconspicuous speed. The purple velvet may have been her tell, or perhaps the glistening jewel encrusted belt. But whatever it was, Spencer was drawn to watching what the young bubbly blonde was up to as she approached the decedent dessert table. Her eyes glowed at the tables contents, mouth salivating at all the homemade goodies made by those that had mastered the art of a bake sale at age 12. But while her eyes were rapidly moving, her hands stayed firmly clasped behind her back. Not tight enough apparently, for her fingers were wiggling like worms attempting to breach the earths surface.

"Go for the brownie." Spencer supplied as she moved closer towards the treats herself. "There's peanut butter in it."

Obviously she hasn't yet tried one that evening but she knew the product well. Those were Margo, assistant to budget coordinator Jeffery Homel's, signature. Birthdays, holidays, retirements, the occasional monday, you name it and you could bet those peanut butter cup brownies would make an appearance. And, to say the least, no one ever complained about it (even if many did complain to their scale the next morning).

The little girl bit her lip. "Mommy said I could only have one."

Spencer's lips curled up. The girl was weighing her options so she could make a calculated decadent decision. One choice equates one chance, and she wanted to make sure she made the right one.

Suddenly this bubbly blonde looked like a mirror image.

The girl glanced over at Spencer, "What did you ask santa for?" She threw out randomly as only a child could.

"A puppy." She hummed without missing a beat, "What about you?"

The girl turned excitedly towards Spencer, "Me too!" her bottom lip fell, "But mommy and daddy say santa doesn't bring aminals."

Spencer laughed lightly, "I heard that too." She studied the girls clicking heels for a moment, "But there are lots of other things santa can bring you."

"Like what?"

"What about a nice stuffed animal? I heard there are no rules against santa bringing you one of those."

The girl sighed, "I already have a stuffed puppy."

"What about a kitty?" The girl nodded, "Giraffe?" another nod, "Penguin?" another, "...Snake?"

The girl froze and Spencer feared for a moment that she had hit a cord, bringing up one of the little girls traumatic fears.

"I don't have a snake one yet." And that seemed to be enough for the nameless youngin, for with nothing but a thoughtful look did she bide Spencer goodbye before she was off running in the opposite direction. Undoubtable, to share with her parents the new addition to her Christmas List.

Spencer found co workers to talk to quite easily after that. She spoke with Henry Rodregez, Charity Liaison, and his boyfriend about a recent news article; Amelia Hammal, Benefit Designer, about her approaching due date, and had a brief but nerve racking chat with president of the company, Lisa Miller that she can barley remember even happening,

She was a fair hour in before her fiancé resurfaced by the refreshments table.

"Have a nice chat?" Spencer asked curiously as she asked the bartender for a virgin martini.

Toby's eyes glowed in the remnants of excitement, "Did you know Terry worked for Keller Contraction too? Back when she was first starting out?" Spencer shook her head.

"That's where she first got her legs she said, he trained her and taught her and basically help her set up her own business which first started as contracting but she fit classes in at a local trade school and got her architectural degree and - what?"

Spencer looked surprised, "Nothing."

Toby kept a suspicious glance on her. "That's not nothing. What is it?"

Spencer's response came as she approached him, reaching towards him to brush the unruly strands of hair back into his cleanly swept hair lovingly. "I just haven't heard you talk so passionately like this in a while." Toby's face contorted a bit. "I know these past few months have been hard for you and I know you feel like you've 'leveled off' or whatever ridiculous term you used." She kept her forward lean towards him, increasing it so that she was inches from his lips. "I'm just happy someone was able to remind you that you have plenty of upward momentum." She met his lips for a tender kiss, "I mean how could you not!" She reassured him once the brome a part, "This city was built on upward momentum! ... and a lot of steel." She cocked her head to the side and spoke with a scoff. "And besides you're Toby Cavanaugh."

Tony shook his head knowingly. "And what does that mean?"

"It means," she spoke softly and sensually, bringing back the short distance between them, "that I am going to be so immensely proud to share that name with you in a few months."


End file.
